Posted on 10/13/2009 1:06:19 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Pentagon said on Tuesday it had made no secret about the expanding US force in Afghanistan, despite a report suggesting troop numbers had been downplayed by the Obama administration.
The Defense Department had consistently said the number of US forces would reach 68,000 by the end of the year, a Pentagon spokesman said.
"Nothing's missing. Nothing's hidden," Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.
His comments came after the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Obama had approved the deployment of 13,000 troops beyond the 21,000 he announced publicly in March.
But at least half of those 13,000 troops were authorized by former president George W. Bush, .. , Lapan said.
"Technically, did they all flow into Afghanistan under Obama's watch? Yes, but they have been approved previously," he said.
Apart from the dispatch of 21,000 extra troops announced by Obama, the size of the force swelled with thousands of support troops backing up combat brigades as well as units approved by the previous administration, Lapan told reporters.
The US force in the NATO-led mission was at about 34,000 when Obama was sworn in on January 20, he said.
...
The Pentagon and the White House in the past have tended not to publicize or highlight support troop deployments.
When Bush announced a US troop "surge" in Iraq, he only referred to 20,000 combat forces and not the 8,000 support troops backing them up.
There are now more US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan than during the peak of the surge in Iraq in late 2007 and early 2008.
About 65,000 US forces are stationed in Afghanistan and about 124,000 in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.
At the height of the Iraq surge, 26,000 US troops were in Afghanistan and 160,000 in Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The list, ping
Extra troops? More soldiers with more guns and more ammo in the Middle East? Obama deserves to win the Nobel Peace Prize next year too.
Obama tells the left, “Bush approved this not me.” Yet if it works, Obama will say, “The extra troops sent in during my presidency made the difference.”
All those “YES WE CAN” youtube videos from a year ago believed the Kool Aid that Obama would do the impossible and bring instant peace to Afghanistan and bring the soldiers home. Hopefully they’ll one day come to their senses that Obama was lying to them all that time.
Extra troops? More soldiers with more guns and more ammo in the Middle East? Obama deserves to win the Nobel Peace Prize next year too.
Obama tells the left, “Bush approved this not me.” Yet if it works, Obama will say, “The extra troops sent in during my presidency made the difference.”
All those “YES WE CAN” youtube videos from a year ago believed the Kool Aid that Obama would do the impossible and bring instant peace to Afghanistan and bring the soldiers home. Hopefully they’ll one day come to their senses that Obama was lying to them all that time.
Our #3 son (Airborne) got his “packing orders” for Afghanistan last week.
May God protect him.
Thank you :o)
Our #3 son is in Iraq - coming home in about 5 weeks after a 1 year deployment. (He is with 5-73 of the 82nd Airborne).
He was mentioning something about trying to get a 5 - 6 week school, and then transfer to 4th Brigade and try to join up a unit that will be in 3rd or 4th month of deployment in Afghanistan. (I am trying to tell him to go slowly til Obama decides if he is going to want to seek victory, or see a Chamberlain-type compromise for “Peace with Honor”.)
Prayers to all our service men and women!!
Mike
Our #2 son is on his way back from Iraq this week. #1 son’s orders for Afghanistan were canceled. #4 son has had 2 appt.’s with AF recruiter (that never showed), so he’s wanting to talk to ARMY.
We’re so proud of them, but I’m scared to death for their safety as well. Very trying on my faith - to get beyond “I’m mom and must keep them safe” to “It’s in Your Hands God”.
Our emotions are very much a roller coaster ride these days.
Our view is that if Obummer isn’t going to send enough troops to get the job done right, then bring them home and put them on our borders to keep the terrorist out of our country. I know, wishful thinking....
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Agreed, and prayers up for your clan.
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